Nonprofit organization Black Lives Matter, in partnership with J. Walter Thompson New York, has launched a site to help people easily discover Black-owned small businesses in the U.S.

The website, https://www.backingblackbusiness.com/, which is in beta, is part of Black Lives Matter's plan for 2017 to focus on "building Black power," according to a statement. JWT began working with the movement on a pro bono basis a few months ago as its first strategic and creative agency partner.

"We're thrilled to partner with J. Walter Thompson and, in particular, this effort to uplift and sustain Black businesses," said Patrisse Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter in a statement. "Right now, we need to invest in Black businesses more than ever."

The Backing Black Business website is live with more than 300 businesses so far, with the goal of having strong representation of black-owned businesses in all states by the end of next year. Black Lives Matter is promoting the site with local campaign support and an online social and influencer initiative.

Brent Choi, chief creative officer of J. Walter Thompson New York, said in a statement, "Our hope is to reduce the racial disparity that exists in economic well-being through the promotion of Black business ownership."

Lindsay Stein is an agency reporter at Ad Age, mainly covering creative, digital and PR. Prior to Ad Age, she was a senior consumer marketing reporter at PRWeek. When she's not writing – or training for obstacle course runs – she's working on personal projects, including film production.